Dave, police dog stabbed while on duty, is recovering

LAS CRUCES >> Dave bit into a chew toy last week and thrashed his head, a rambunctious display of strength.

Later that afternoon, the Dutch shepherd seemed eager to meet strangers and lurched forward, testing his leash and his handler's balance.

A playful tone softened the edge of his powerful bark.

Aside from the staples in Dave's shoulder and the shaved area around it, there was no way to tell that two days earlier he had been stabbed.

Dave is a police dog, teaming with officer Jeremy Story to make one of six K9 teams for the Las Cruces Police Department.

Like the other hardened dogs in that role, Dave has been punched, kicked and choked in the line of duty.

"He's very experienced," said Story, who has been Dave's handler for more than two years. "That's not going to slow him down at all."

Neither, apparently, did the stabbing -- an injury that could have been fatal, Story noted, had the military-style knife not hit Dave's shoulder blade.

Story was among a group of officers who responded to a call early Monday morning about a man lying in a street near Lynn Middle School.

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When officers arrived, they found Alan Golden, 23, carrying a knife, according to an LCPD news release. Golden refused to drop the knife, holding it to his throat and trying to press police into shooting him, officers reported.

The officers used beanbag rounds against Golden and sent Dave to engage him. During the scuffle, Golden stabbed Dave, LCPD reported.

He is the first LCPD K9 to receive such as serious injury, said Sgt. Andy De La O, who was the department's first K9 officer back in 1991. A few years ago, a man tried to bite off the ear of an LCPD dog. Now, De La O oversees the K9 units.

Typically, he said, the dogs are used as search tools.

"It would take us hours for us to do what they can do in a matter of minutes," De La O said of the dogs.

They can also help keep the officers from using lethal force. That's because most people would rather surrender to officers than confront the teeth of Dave or another LCPD dog, De La O said.

He didn't have to go back far for a recent example, noting that officers flushed a rape suspect out of a motel room earlier this month by threatening to unleash a K9.

Though he remains energetic and is trained weekly to stay sharp, Dave is likely in the home stretch of his LCPD career. De La O said LCPD dogs typically serve until they are about 8 or 9 years old.

The new dogs come, when they are about 2 years old, from European trainers. That explains why Dave understands commands in Dutch and German. De La O said the prepped dogs cost about $5,000 -- he has seen them for $12,000 but said LCPD hasn't paid that much.

Once they are purchased, LCPD trains the dog for several weeks. Part of that is necessary to develop a bond with the handling officer.

De La O said LCPD will not take dogs that are "fighters." They don't want an unfocused animal eager to pick fights with other dogs.

He also looks for certain traits for K9 officers. De La O said prospective officers can't be 8-5 people -- "the dog is always with them," he said -- or have a sustained excessive-force complaint.

That's because, De La O said, a dog is another means of force for an officer. He does not want it misapplied.

At home, Story said, Dave is similar to a normal dog. He plays with Story's other dog and is generally friendly.

But, because of Dave's training and abilities, Story does not take his K9 partner out in public, for example, to the park. He does not socialize Dave with other dogs, especially males, as a precaution. Also, De La O added, officers don't allow people to pet or feed the police dogs.

Dave was expected back at work this week, once a veterinarian removes his five staples.